If you owned 100 shares of some company, they remain 100 shares. No matter the current market price. Presumably the averages, over time, will leave you with an upside.

However...

If you had purchased $1000.00 of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49.00.
With Enron, you would have $16.50 left of the original $1000.
With WorldCom, you would have less than $5.00 left.
If you had purchased $1000.00 of Delta Air Lines stock you would have $49.00 left.
If you had purchased United Airlines, you would have nothing left.

But, if you had purchased $1000.00 worth of beer one year ago.
Drank all the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling refund you would have $214.00.

Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.
This is called the 401-Keg Plan.